PHP code can be simply mixed with HTML code, or it can be used in combination with various templating engines and web frameworks. PHP code is usually processed by a PHP interpreter, which is usually implemented as a web server’s native module or a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) executable. After the PHP code is interpreted and executed, the web server sends the resulting output to its client, usually in the form of a part of the generated web page; for example, PHP code can generate a web page’s HTML code, an image, or some other data. PHP has also evolved to include a command-line interface (CLI) capability and can be used instandalonegraphical applications.

Despite its popularity, no written specification or standard existed for the PHP language until 2014, leaving the canonical PHP interpreter as a de facto standard. Since 2014, there is ongoing work on creating a formal PHP specification.

During the 2010s PHP as a platform has matured significantly,[10] largely by influence from other software communities and projects such as Npm. In addition to standard library improvements, the work of PHP-FIG in the form of PSR-initiatives, Composer dependency manager and the Packagist repository have been a significant factor in this.